Accident Investigation: A detailed, defined, and recorded review of an accident, done to uncover and record the factors and causes and their relationships, which led up to and caused an accident or incident.

Bloodborne Pathogens: Pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Confined Space: A confined space is any space that is large enough so that an employee can enter and perform assigned work, with restricted access or egress, not designed for continuous employee occupancy.

Emergency Action Plan: The act of putting together an overall plan and developing it for response to emergency situations involving workers and equipment. An EAP will ensure employee safety in the event of a fire or other emergency.

Ergonomics: Refers to the application of information about human characteristics to the design of equipment, machinery and workstations to suit people, with the aim of improving safety and efficiency.

Hazard Communication: To ensure that the hazards of all chemicals produced or imported are evaluated, and that information concerning their hazards is transmitted to employers and employees.

Industrial Hygiene: A specialized area within the field of Occupational Health and Safety devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of worker exposures to harmful physical or chemical agents or conditions.

Job Safety Analysis (JSA): Method used to break a job task into separate and distinct steps, evaluate the hazards associated with each step, and determine the appropriate controls needed to control each of the identified hazards.

Lock-out/Tag-out (LOTO): A means of disabling and flagging machines, equipment, tools and electrical devices to prevent them from being energized during routine maintenance and/or repair work.

Loss Prevention: A before-the-loss program designed to identify and correct potential causes of accidents before they result in actual injuries or financial loss.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): Contains detailed information on the hazards, safe handling and storage, and medical treatment of hazardous materials.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): Part of the U.S. federal government's Centers for Disease Control. The only federal Institute responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries. www.CDC.gov.

Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA): OSHA is a federal government agency in the U.S. Department of Labor. The primary goals of OSHA are to save lives, prevent injuries and protect the health of America's workers. www.OSHA.gov.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Includes all clothing and other work accessories designed to create a barrier against workplace hazards.

Safety Committee: A committee that promotes health and safety in the workplace, with members representing employees and management from all sections of an organization.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): This private non-profit organization is the leading authoritative source of technical background, data, and consumer advice on fire protection, problems and prevention. www.NFPA.org